If we had a conservative nurses forum

Nurses Activism

Published

You are reading page 9 of If we had a conservative nurses forum

Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

evidently, i keep a motto while at work and otherwise never to discuss my political views, religion, gender preferences, not even my sport fan views....needless to say this has kept me out of trouble and as a seasoned nurse i enjoy the best of both worlds... :cool:

Tragically Hip

267 Posts

"Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt theorizes that a person's position on the political spectrum is a reflection of his or her moral matrix. We're all guided by the same moral foundations he posits, but we weigh them differently. Liberals value compassion, or care, over all else, while conservatives assign equal weight to values including care, liberty, fairness, loyalty, authority and sanctity. It's not that liberals don't believe in the others, but when faced with a moral dilemma, care (or avoidance of harm) trumps everything else."

Now, into which group do you think nurses tend to fall? Compassion and care over all else, maybe?

smithkidsmom

2 Posts

Wow, OP...I'm replying to your original post.

It's quite the opposite where I live, in Tennessee. Seems like everyone here is on the conservative/evangelical Christian bandwagon. I'm not, and I'm definitely in the minority. It really gets old. Before you label me as a liberal, know that I don't consider myself one. I have some conservative values, some liberal, and some that don't really fit in either. I guess what I'm saying is that I have some non-traditional beliefs, and I feel extremely outnumbered--almost akin to someone hiding their sexuality in the closet, so to speak (no, don't go there...LOL...I'm married to my high school sweetheart, and we have two kids).

I grew up here too--not a transplant. If I were to "come out" as an agnostic, for example, a lot of people wouldn't have anything to do with me anymore. It would upset my grandmother and probably put her on her deathbed. A lot of people would be certain this earned me a one way ticket to a really hot place. So I shut up, have my non-traditional beliefs, and be the minority.

Mainly though, no matter what our personal/political beliefs, they should never affect patient care in a negative way. If anything, I think when we throw politics and religion out the window, and concentrate on the issue at hand--the patient--nursing will become a better profession!

sealford

102 Posts

Well, I'm a libertarian, but my values tend to be more on the conservative side. I did find out that most of my future nursing professors are Republicans, but a few have already left because of Obamacare.:(

It seems to me that it's hypocritical for a libertarian to be going into nursing - or medicine - since both are professions in which a government issued license attempts to assure quality of care and the safety of the public - something libertarians believe the government ought not to be involved in. A libertarian who is true to their beliefs wouldn't participate in such a system. Just a little gentle poke here.

Well, I'm a libertarian, but my values tend to be more on the conservative side. I did find out that most of my future nursing professors are Republicans,

but a few have already left because of Obamacare.:(

sealford

102 Posts

If we were 100% true to all that we believed in, mankind would have been wiped out long ago because of all of the disagreements and extremism. All libertarians that I know believe that we should have some form of government...otherwise we would be anarchists. A government-issued license is necessary to ensure that a person can properly care for someone else. I have several libertarian friends who are also nurses and doctors (and they actually care about their patients). Just because I'm a libertarian doesn't mean that I can't be a nurse. Maybe the best way to fight against something is to be on the inside of it.

33762FL

376 Posts

I was against the past decade's wars, against a regressive tax system, strongly in favor the right to family planning, pro-LGBT rights, pro-personal responsibility, anti organized religion in public schools, and pro-union rights. In France that would make me a conservative, in the US it makes me a Democrat.

I'm well aware that libertarians favor some form of government, but all the libertarian writings I've read claim the government ought not be in the business of regulating things to ensure public health and safety. They would claim that it's your job, not the government's, to make sure that the person taking care of you is safe and competent and the only safety mechanism you need is the right to sue a practioner if they actually harm you, or a company that sells you a defective product that injures you. All of that is standard libertarian doctrine. According to libertarian principles, a government mechanism to license health care practitioners is just a way for those practioners to keep others out of the field and artificially inflate the value of their work. Again, I don't believe any of this silliness, but it's what libertarians claim to believe taken to its logical conclusion: that anyone who wants to call themselves a doctor or a nurse ought to be able to do so and that it's up to the patient do judge if they are competent or not. In reality of course, like most other people, the libertarian claim to favor personal freedom is highly situational and tends in practice to mean favoring freedom for people you approve of to do things you approve of.

If we were 100% true to all that we believed in, mankind would have been wiped out long ago because of all of the disagreements and extremism. All libertarians that I know believe that we should have some form of government...otherwise we would be anarchists. A government-issued license is necessary to ensure that a person can properly care for someone else. I have several libertarian friends who are also nurses and doctors (and they actually care about their patients). Just because I'm a libertarian doesn't mean that I can't be a nurse. Maybe the best way to fight against something is to be on the inside of it.

Caseylynn87

2 Posts

Thank you for starting this forum, FLmomof5! I was beginning to lose hope!

uRNmyway, ASN, RN

1,080 Posts

Specializes in Med-Surg.
what you are talking about is better related to us constitution article 1 section 8:[/b']

[color=#000060]

"the congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defence and general welfare of the united states; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the united states;"

i.e. you have every right to expect to be taxed and pay for things you need and a lot you don't, just like every other citizen in this and every country in the world - except maybe somalia.

Ok, well then quoting YOUR quote, I interpret that to mean there should be a flat tax, not increments depending on income!

I don't think it's a bad idea. As long as it can remain positive and not used as a means TI divide people in our profession. I can value anyone's beliefs/opinions, even if they aren't the same as my own. I'm not a fan of politics. It gets everyone all upset lol

d'cm

284 Posts

Ok, well then quoting YOUR quote, I interpret that to mean there should be a flat tax, not increments depending on income!

No, I believe the uniformity means taxes will be the same from state to state, not individual to individual.

A truely flat tax, where everybody paid the same rate would actually be highly regressive. A progressive flat tax with no adjustments to income for any reason and all income regardless of source sounds like it could work. However my favorite idea for taxation is referred to as the Robin Hood tax. This is a tax on all financial transactions and thus would be perfectly progressive.

+ Add a Comment